Lever Action Weapons

ABSTRACT

A lever action firearm comprising a receiver for receiving cartridges, a barrel having one end operably attached to the receiver, a magazine tube having one end operably attached to the receiver, a magazine follower positioned within the magazine tube and having a indentation for interacting with a portion of an ejector lever, and an ejector lever pivotally attached to the receiver and having an elongated forward finger for interacting with the edge of the indentation of the magazine follower.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to firearms, and, more particularly to lever action shotguns which use a lever located around the trigger guard area to inject a used cartridge from the barrel and insert a live cartridge into the barrel.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Lever action shotguns are well known in the prior art. For example, in 1887 Winchester offered for sale a lever action shotgun, known as the Winchester Model 1887 shotgun. Lever action shotguns generally store a plurality of shotgun cartridges in the magazine tube. A magazine follower is utilized to exert a force on the shotgun cartridges in the direction of the receiver. When the lever is cycled, i.e. moved forward and backward, the used cartridge (if any) is removed from the barrel, ejected, and a live cartridge is removed from the magazine tube, aligned with the shotgun barrel and inserted into the barrel. Each time the lever is cycled, a live cartridge is removed from the magazine tube, aligned with the barrel, and inserted into the barrel for firing. This occurs until all of the cartridges stored in the magazine tube are removed and the last cartridge is removed and ejected from the barrel.

Recently, marksmanship enthusiasts have begun to conduct marksmanship competitions with lever action shotguns. In certain competitions, each contestant fires a series of two shotgun cartridges loaded in a lever action shotgun. By the nature of the competition, small increments of time which can be saved in operating the lever action shotgun and increased ease of operation may make the critical difference between winning and not winning the competition. Accordingly, a need has developed for improvements to lever action shotguns which will decrease the time and effort required to cycle the lever and decrease the time necessary to fire two cartridges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Applicant's invention is an improvement in lever action shotguns and related firearms. In the invention, an injector lever is provided with an elongated forward finger. The magazine follower located in the magazine tube has a rearward lip on its rearward portion which operates in conjunction with the forward edge of the ejector lever. When two shotgun cartridges are loaded in the receiver (also known as the breech), the forward end of the ejector lever operates in conjunction with the lip of the magazine follower so that the operator feels a hesitation when the lower cartridge is positioned below the upper cartridge and the lower cartridge abuts the injector lever so that the two cartridges are in proper alignment. The lower cartridge does not enter the magazine tube but is positioned below the upper cartridge. The upper cartridge is aligned with the barrel and inserted in the barrel, ready for firing at the completion of the cycle when the lever is moved backward. After the top cartridge is fired, the lever is cycled, that is, pushed forward and back. When the lever is pushed forward the upper cartridge is ejected and the lower cartridge (the first cartridge loaded into the receiver) is positioned in alignment with the barrel. At the completion of the cycle the lower cartridge is inserted into the barrel. The lower cartridge is thus repositioned in operational alignment with the barrel, ready for firing.

Thus, precious time is saved in cycling the lever and the cycling is more efficient.

It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to improve upon the heretofore known lever action shotgun mechanisms.

Another object of the present invention is to improve and reduce the time required to cycle the shotgun in contests and to obtain a smoother and safer operation of the mechanism and to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Greater details of the invention will be given hereinbelow in the following description thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not to be construed limitatively, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a lever action shotgun in the open position in the portion thereof which includes and is adjacent to the receiver:

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a right side elevational view of the shotgun of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is top plan view of a lever action shotgun in the closed position depicting the receiver and adjacent portions;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a right elevational view of the shotgun of FIG. 4.

As will be appreciated, the figures for the sake of clarity depict the shotgun without certain coverings which are unnecessary to fully show and describe the invention and how to make and use the invention. Also, the figures are in schematic form and are not necessarily to scale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFFERED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, inclusive, there is depicted therein a lever action shotgun 10 comprising a receiver 12, lever 14, barrel 16, magazine tube 18, magazine follower 20, ejector lever 22 and ejector pivot pin 42. The receiver 12 has a forward portion 24 and a rearward portion 26. The barrel 16 and magazine tube 18 have forward portions 28 and 30, respectively, and rearward portions 32 and 34, respectively. The rearward portion 32 of the barrel 16 and the rearward portion 34 of the magazine tube 18 are operably connected to the forward portion 24 of the receiver 12 by standard means well known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The lever 14 is operably connected to the rearward portion 26 of the receiver 12 by standard means well known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The ejector pivot pin 42 is affixed and located in the receiver 12 in a manner well known to those with ordinary skill in the art.

The ejector lever 22 has a forward finger 36 and a rearward finger 38. The ejector lever 22 has an opening 44 receiving the ejector pivot pin 42. Accordingly, the ejector lever 22 is pivotally attached by means of the ejector pin 42 within the receiver 12. The magazine follower 20 has a forward portion 44 and a rearward portion 46. The magazine follower 20 is positioned within the magazine tube 18 such that the rearward portion 46 is directed toward the forward portion 24 of the receiver 12.

The longitudinal axis 100 of the magazine follower 20 is coincident with the longitudinal axis of the magazine tube 18.

In operation, a bias mechanism such as a spring (not shown) operates to exert a force on the magazine follower so that the magazine follower is biased toward the receiver 12. The rearward portion 46 of the magazine follower 20 has an indentation having an edge 48 in the rearward portion 46 of the magazine follower 20. In a preferred embodiment, the edge of the indentation 48 is substantially in the shape of a circle substantially centered about the longitudinal axis 100 of the magazine follower 20. However, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other shapes for the indentation 48 may be utilized.

The forward finger 36 of the ejector lever 22 is of sufficient length to interact with the edge of the indentation 48 of the magazine follower 20 when a shotgun cartridge (not shown) is pushed toward the bottom portion of the receiver 12 (which is explained in greater detail below). The length of the forward finger 36 is sufficient to cause the operator loading the shotgun to feel a hesitation when the shotgun cartridge is pushed to the bottom of the receiver signifying a pre-determined alignment of the shotgun cartridge within the receiver 12 (which is discussed in greater detail below).

Within the receiver is the cartridge guide which operates in a standard manner well known to those who have ordinary skill in the art.

When the shotgun is in the open position (FIGS. 1-3, inclusive) the receiver 12 is open and able to receive shotgun cartridges. The operator inserts within the receiver two shotgun cartridges (not shown). The first shotgun cartridge to enter the receiver will be hereinafter referred to as the “lower cartridge” and the second shotgun cartridge to be placed within the receiver will be hereinafter referred to as the “upper cartridge”. When both cartridges have been placed in the receiver, the operator presses down on the upper cartridge until a hesitation is felt. The hesitation is due to the forward finger 36 of the ejector lever 22 meeting and being restrained by the edge of the indentation 48 of the magazine follower 20.

When the operator feels the hesitation, the lever 14 is closed and the shotgun is in the closed position (FIGS. 4-6, inclusive). The upper cartridge is pushed into the rearward portion 32 of the barrel 16 in a manner well known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The lever 14 is thus closed.

With the lever in the closed position (FIGS. 4-6, inclusive) the shotgun is now capable of being fired. The lower cartridge is not within the magazine tube but is retained in the lower portion of the receiver 12.

After the shotgun is fired, the lever may be cycled, that is, the lever is pushed forward (to the position shown is FIGS. 1-3, inclusive) and back to the closed position (shown in FIGS. 4-6, inclusive).

After the upper cartridge is fired, the lever is pushed forward, the upper cartridge is ejected from the barrel 16 in a manner well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The upper cartridge is not only ejected from the barrel 16 but is also ejected from the receiver 12.

The lever 14 is then pushed back toward the closed position depicted in FIGS. 4-6, inclusive, the lower cartridge rises within the receiver, is aligned with the barrel 16 and pushed into the rearward portion 32 of the barrel 16 so that it is in a proper position to be fired. As will be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art, the interaction of the forward finger 36 of the ejector lever 22 and the forward finger's interaction with the edge of the indentation 48 of the magazine follower 20 provides the crucial hesitation necessary so that the operator properly positions the upper and lower cartridges within the receiver so that they are properly aligned when the lever 14 is pushed back to the closed position depicted FIGS. 4-6, inclusive.

It will be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art that the invention provide for a speedier and smoother cycling of the lever between the firing of the upper cartridge and lower cartridge than would be the case if the lower cartridge were inserted within the magazine tube in the conventional manner.

It will also be appreciated to those having ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be loaded in the normal or usual way. If the operator wishes to load the shotgun in a normal or usual manner, a shotgun cartridge is placed on the carrier 50 and pressed down until the carrier 50 stops at the bottom of the receiver 12. The operator then uses his thumb, fingers or some other appropriate implement to push the cartridge forward into the magazine tube 18. This procedure is repeated until the desired number of shotgun cartridges are loaded into the magazine tube or the magazine tube is full. When a cartridge is fired in the barrel, the lever is cycled and for each cycle, the expended cartridge is ejected from the barrel and receiver, one live cartridge is ejected from the magazine tube 18 into the receiver 12, positioned in the tipper portion of the receiver 12 and aligned with the rearward portion 32 of the barrel 16 and pushed into the rearward portion 32 of the barrel 16 as the cocking lever is closed thus placing the live cartridge in a position to be fired. This procedure is repeated as desired or until no shotgun cartridges remain.

Clearly what has been described is a significant improvement in lever action shotguns which is highly useful, easily and efficiently manufactured and which does not unduly impact the manufacturing cost of shotguns.

The present invention has been described above in terms of a preferred embodiment so that an understanding of the invention can be conveyed. There are, however, many configurations, forms, and alternative embodiments not specifically described herein to which the present invention is still applicable. The foregoing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention by way of example, and not by way of limitation.

A person skilled in this field will recognize that variations may exist without departing from the principles of the invention. The present invention should therefore not be seen as limited to the particular embodiment described herein, but rather should be understood to have wide applicability with respect to lever action firearms. All modifications, variations, or equivalent arrangements and implementations that are within the scope of the attached claims should therefore be considered within the scope of the invention. 

1. A firearm comprising a barrel having a rearward end and a forward end; a magazine tube having a rearward end and a forward end. a magazine follower, having a forward end and a rearward end, positioned within the magazine tube, and aligned so that the rearward end of the magazine follower is closer to the rearward end of the magazine tube than the forward end of the magazine follower is to the rearward end of the magazine tube, and the rearward portion of the magazine follower having an indentation which forms an edge; a central assembly having a forward and rearward portion, the forward portion being operably connected to the rearward end of the barrel and rearward end of the magazine tube; an ejector lever pivotally connected to the central assembly and having a forward finger of sufficient length to engage the edge of the indentation of the rearward portion of the magazine follower when the ejector lever is at a predetermined position within the central assembly.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the magazine follower has a longitudinal axis and the edge of the indentation on the rearward portion of magazine follower is substantially circular.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the center of the indentation is substantially in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the magazine follower.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the plane formed by the indentation is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the magazine follower.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the magazine tube has a longitudinal axis which is substantially coincident to the longitudinal axis of the magazine follower.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the central assembly comprises a receiver. 